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Ho Chi Minh City Food Tour: 10 Tastings with Local Guide
4.9
152 Ratings
Bến Thành
Embark on a private street food tour in Ho Chi Minh City and indulge in 10 mouthwatering tastings hand-picked by locals. Experience the city’s culinary scene while exploring its cultural highlights.
Duration:
3 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
learn more
Highlights
- Ben Thanh Market - Greet your host and get the ideal start to your food tour in Ho Chi Minh City at this market with French influences.
- Ben Thanh Market - Continue your exploration of Ben Thanh Market by tasting steamed rice flour cakes with dried shrimp, known as “water fern cakes” in English, and you’ll understand the name once you see them.
- Ben Thanh Market - Savor a traditional Hue snack of shrimp and pork tapioca dumplings, perfect for dipping in nuoc mam pha, a blend of fish sauce, vinegar, shrimp stock, sugar, water, and fresh chiles.
- Mariamman Hindu Temple - Explore a temple constructed in the early 20th century by the Tamil for the Hindu goddess Mariamman and learn about its evolution over the years.
- Tao Dan Park - Near Tao Dan Park, enjoy a classic taste from Vietnam’s colonial era, the Banh Mi, a sandwich featuring a crispy French baguette filled with pork, pate, and a variety of fresh vegetables.
- Independence Palace - Stop by a street vendor for a refreshing sugar cane juice, perfect for a hot day, near the Reunification Palace.
- Turtle Lake - Visit a historic site that blends culture, history, and local life, popular among young Saigonese looking to escape the heat and enjoy a snack.
- Saigon Square 3 - Sample a salad that balances sweet and spicy flavors, made from shredded young papaya in a sour-sweet spicy sauce, topped with roasted peanuts, Vietnamese basil, shrimp crackers, and essential beef jerky, near Saigon Square 3.
- Tan Dinh Market - Enjoy a tasty Banh xeo, a pancake named for the sizzling sound it makes when the rice batter hits a hot skillet, near Tan Dinh Market.
- Tan Dinh Market - Raise a glass and sip on a local Saigon beer, brewed in Vietnam using traditional fermentation methods, near Tan Dinh Market.
- Tan Dinh Market - Indulge in chè, a popular dessert made from kidney beans, jelly, and coconut cream at Tan Dinh Market. Pair it with a cup of Vietnamese coffee or tea as your host offers more recommendations for things to do and eat in Ho Chi Minh City.
- Tan Dinh Church - Ever seen a pink church? Now’s your chance!
What's Included
- 10 Food & Drinks Tastings
- Vegetarian alternatives
- Private Tour
- Local Guide
What's Not Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Extra food & drinks
Additional Information
Eat your way through Ho Chi Minh City’s culinary scene on a private food tour. Go on a delicious journey as you try 10 of the best food items beloved by the locals: from savory to sweet and local drinks; this tour will leave every foodie satisfied!
Enjoy tastings typical of the local cuisine and hand-picked by a local guide passionate about food like Green Papaya Salad and Saigon Beer. But that’s not it! This tour is more than just food; it’s a cultural experience! In between food stops, you’ll also find city highlights making this experience a well-rounded tour that will satisfy every foodie.
Withlocals The 10 Tastings Private Food Tour™ is one of Withlocals’ signature tours available in major cities worldwide. We work with passionate local guides who earn a fair fee. We support local economies by only offering local produce and prevent over-tourism with only small non-intrusive groups. Our tours are carbon-neutral and away from the standard tourist routes.
- Private tour: only you & your local guide
- Includes city highlights in between food stops
- Alternatives offered for those with dietary restrictions
- Post Covid-19 regulations are applied to this product with regards to the number of participants, delivery methods of the tour and content of the tour.
Location
Đường Lê Lai
Ben Thanh Market, Exit 7.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(152 Ratings)
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4hal
Sep 3, 2024
An amazing introduction to Vietnam and its cuisine. - We did our food tour with Elise on the first day of our trip. It was an excellent introduction to the city and to Vietnamese cuisine. Elise was incredibly knowledgeable about both and shared so much with us. It was a pleasure to spend the evening with her and the perfect way to start our trip. We strongly recommend Elise as your food tour guide.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Alexandracc9783rf
Jul 30, 2024
Salivating in Saigon! - My husband and I had a lovely time with Elise on our walking food tour.
Elise is very knowledgeable about not only food, but the city. We felt comfortable with her immediately.
We sampled some of Ho Chi Minh’s yummiest dishes and were full to the brim (had to take dessert home!) highlight - papaya salad on the street!
Thank so much, Elise!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Explorer49022595286
Apr 12, 2024
What a great experience! - Elise took the initiative to offer us the option of a later food tour (i.e., cooler early evening rather than very hot early afternoon); we really appreciated that! She started in the Ben Thanh Tourist Market, explaining how we could purchase items there with confidence. All through the evening, she provided us with good tourist tips and interesting facts about Vietnam, particularly the culture of Southern Vietnam. The food places Elise took us to were varied, and everything was truly delicious, particularly the last food of the evening. It was a dish from her home town in the Mekong Delta, and it was indeed a wonderful way to end the evening. Elise has an engaging personality and knows the city well. We would not hesitate to recommend taking her food tour any time! Oh, and she takes great photos, too!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Philipvas
Apr 9, 2024
Food tour with Spring highly rec! - Hey Spring, is awesome! We had a great time with you Spring! Thank you for taking us around and for showing us off the beaten path around Saigon. Spring is very friendly and informative. I especially appreciated how she shared about what her life is like here in Vietnam. It really helped me see the way she lives that we as tourists don’t get to see easily. Much appreciation to Spring! Highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Peters238
Apr 7, 2024
Such a lovely tour - Such a lovely tour with Elise. She was the perfect host. We tried so many things that we would not have otherwise tried. Elise made a point of sharing on the food she would eat herself, and avoiding some of the more commercialised non- traditional unhealthy food too popular today. Elise was a joy to spend 3 hours with.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
S9510gsireneg
Mar 26, 2024
Food Saigon - Spring was amazing! We did a true food tour and it was unbelievable! She is super knowledgeable of all the great spots! When I say w3 are our way through Saigon we did! Everything was delicious!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Simonwantstotravel
Mar 14, 2024
Delicious food tour with the amazing Elise! - We had an amazing time during our tour with Elise. She showed us really tasty Vietnamese dishes and where to find them. Also we learned a lot about the culture and the traditions of her country. I can definitely recommend you to book a tour with her!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mpls223
Mar 13, 2024
Amazing tour and guide! Cannot recommend more! - My husband and I enjoyed our evening with Elise. She took us around to many locations trying some of the local favorites Siagon has to offer. I am gluten intolerant and Elise took care to make sure that that there was a lot of things I could eat and not get sick - really appreciated the care given to this. We loved everything we ate and even made a couple of extra stops to by some skin care products she recommended. We had a great time, learned a lot and left with very full bellies. Loved this tour - thanks again Elise!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Thecommonwanderer
Feb 14, 2024
The best foodie tour in Saigon - This was our second tour with Hieu and it matched our first - an excellent tour and one of the best we've ever done.
Hieu opened our eyes (and taste buds) to a world of Vietnamese cuisine we knew nothing about, which allowed us to enjoy the rest of our time in Vietnam much more, as we knew what and where to find the best food.
We visited Michelin-recommend holes in the wall, street sellers, and some of the best Banh Mi ever. And we delved deeper into the local markets, discovering local delicacies.
We highly recommend this tour to any food enthusiast, or to anyone looking to discover the richness of Vietnamese cuisine.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ledamcintyreh
Feb 12, 2024
Amazing food tour! - What a fun evening! We met Hieu, and he immediately started giving us information about Ho Chi Minh City and the food to expect. Conversation was lively. We walked through neighborhoods and alleyways we would never have found or explored on our own. From bahn mi to coffee to pho to snails to dumplings—the food was delicious and very plentiful. Our last stop was for ice cream. Hieu knew “the aunties” where we stopped, and all the food was safe and interesting. An added bonus was an intimate look into neighborhood life in the city. We highly recommend this tour and would take additional tours with Hieu’s company.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
